In the beginning God created both man and woman in his own image (Gen. 1:26-27). Eve was Adam’s companion, lover, and equal. She was made from his rib. As many people have noted, Eve wasn’t taken from Adam’s skull. She isn’t to rule over him. She wasn’t taken from his foot. He isn’t to trample…
Circumcision was a “sign of the covenant” God made with Abraham (Gen. 17:11). The Lord had promised to make his descendants as numerous as the stars (15:5). Circumcision was a physical mark on that part of the male body most closely associated with fathering children (and therefore served as a continuing reminder of God’s fulfilled…
The cleansing rituals in the Old Testament served more than one purpose. Ritual cleansing mirrored the expected purity of the heart. After committing adultery with Bathsheba, David prayed: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. […] Create in me a clean heart, O God,…
According to Islamic teaching, the Torah and the Gospels confirm the Quran. When were the Gospels written? The story of Jesus didn’t become the “gospel,” the good news, until after the resurrection. If he had only died and been buried, his experience couldn’t transform the lives of his followers. But because his tomb is empty,…
The violence encouraged in the Quran disturbs me. But what about the violence in the Old Testament? First, let me point out that God, as Creator, holds the right and power to give and take life: “See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I…
About 10 years ago I read Islam: A Short History by Karen Armstrong. The book wasn’t in any way an attack on Islamic faith. Armstrong had high praise for the Quran’s Arabic poetry. In 1999, she was honored with the Muslim Public Affairs Council’s Media Award. In her book Armstrong says that Muhammad never learned…